At the reception, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the visit to Vietnam by the UAE Foreign Minister, highly appreciated the recent active delegation exchanges between the two countries, especially the recent visit to the UAE by Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (May 2023) which achieved many important results.

The two sides agreed that the friendship and cooperation between the two countries in recent times have had positive developments in many areas such as politics - diplomacy, economics - trade, investment, tourism, and energy.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Photo: Duong Giang

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE for his invitation to visit the UAE; and conveyed the invitation to visit Vietnam from President Vo Van Thuong to the President of the UAE. The Prime Minister invited the Prime Minister of the UAE to visit Vietnam soon to discuss specific measures to further strengthen the solidarity, friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Prime Minister suggested that the two sides actively coordinate and support each other at international and regional forums, especially within the framework of the United Nations; coordinate in organizing cultural and sports exchange activities, including the Vietnam Cultural Day in the UAE, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.

Regarding economic cooperation, the Prime Minister affirmed that with the great economic and trade potential between the two sides, it is necessary to complete negotiations on the Vietnam - UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as soon as possible; proposed that the UAE support Vietnam in developing the Halal industry and services, investing in the production of Halal products and building cooperation mechanisms on Halal certification in Vietnam, thereby contributing to increasing trade turnover between the two countries.

In the field of investment, the Prime Minister said that Vietnam encourages businesses and UAE investment funds to invest and transfer technology in areas of mutual interest such as logistics, real estate, services, infrastructure, innovation, etc. Appreciating the UAE's position as a financial center and its success in economic restructuring and science and technology development, the Prime Minister asked the UAE to share experiences and support Vietnam in building an international financial center, connecting innovation networks, energy conversion, environmental protection, natural resource management, etc.

View of the reception. Photo: Duong Giang

The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam welcomes the UAE to host the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28), and is ready to cooperate with the UAE to ensure the success of the conference.

Speaking at the reception, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his delight at his third visit to Vietnam. He affirmed that UAE senior leaders always consider Vietnam an important partner in the Asia-Pacific region. The Minister thanked Vietnam for its close coordination and support for the UAE in international forums of which both sides are members, and hoped that Vietnam would actively participate and contribute to the success of the COP 28 Conference.

The UAE Foreign Minister affirmed that UAE investors and businesses highly appreciate the investment and business environment and opportunities in Vietnam, and wish to strengthen and enhance cooperation with Vietnam in trade and investment, especially in the field of renewable energy. Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed that signing the CEPA is the UAE's top priority in cooperation with Vietnam to create a breakthrough in economic and investment cooperation and suggested that the two sides closely coordinate to accelerate and soon complete negotiations on this important agreement.

In addition to the trade and investment sector, Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan proposed to strengthen cooperation in many other important areas of mutual interest such as renewable energy, climate change response, sustainable development, environmental protection, and people-to-people exchange. The UAE Foreign Minister highly appreciated the contributions of Vietnamese workers to the development of the UAE and hoped that the two sides would strengthen cooperation to promote the sending of more highly skilled Vietnamese workers to the UAE in the coming time. Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed that he would closely coordinate with Vietnam to implement cooperation proposals in a practical and effective manner, especially in the areas and contents that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had commented on.

VNA